


It's Been So Long

by IceFoxed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7769419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceFoxed/pseuds/IceFoxed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So Hello people of archive, My name is Ice Foxed, as you can probably see. I had this fic up on a different site that is used a lot and decided I would like to post it here. Most of the chapters I have right now are T rated, but I might need to bump the rating up in the future. If you want me to do so, let me know, and enjoy the fic.</p>
<p>Also I do not own the show, obviously, but the plot and Cora are mine.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. A Flash of Red

**Author's Note:**

> So Hello people of archive, My name is Ice Foxed, as you can probably see. I had this fic up on a different site that is used a lot and decided I would like to post it here. Most of the chapters I have right now are T rated, but I might need to bump the rating up in the future. If you want me to do so, let me know, and enjoy the fic.
> 
> Also I do not own the show, obviously, but the plot and Cora are mine.

Ten years

It had been ten years since the Akuma attack

Ten years of lonely night patrols, ten years of confusion, ten years of pain.

It had been ten years since ladybug had disappeared, and Chat Noir found himself missing his dear partner. His longing gaze cast out over the horizon, the soft lights of the city of Paris. He had grown used to the empty nights filled with only the silent whispering of the wind as it brushed his hair away. It had been a long time since he had had anyone to talk to about anything, to chase on the empty nights out.

Chat stroked the rooftop next to him longingly, his sharp claws creating a small shrill sound as they scraped the metal. It was a solid reminder of how sharp they were, how dangerous it was to be like this. Chat was his wild side, his untamable nature of mischief and horrible cat puns. His dark side, something he couldn’t express as Adrien Aguste. It reminded him that he should keep away from people.

Lifting his palm from the rooftop, a heavy sigh came from the hero’s lips, his feet dangling off the rooftop. The soft glow of the Eiffel Tower shone upon his dark form, shining back as he watched the sky. ‘We used to sit right here, together, alone, talking about everything. Sometimes joking, sometimes serious. We always ended the night here….’ He thought, leaning back on the roof. It annoyed him to no end that he hadn’t been able to see her. She had probably grown up found someone else to hang out with. That was the thought that bothered him the most. He knew that Ladybug was strong; she could stand on her own. She was kind, beautiful, compassionate, and strong enough to keep herself on her feet.

Knowing her, she had moved on, and long forgotten him. What was he to suspect? She had told him of parting ways, and even though she had been his partner for how many years? It felt like a long time, but it had only been a small pocket of her life. And now, here he was, alone, with no one to accompany him. Well, he was alone besides Cora, one of the small perks in his life. She wouldn’t understand it though

She never could.

‘That’s right, Cora….’ Chat thought, looking up at the waning moon in the sky. This was once the place that held memories of Ladybug, it felt rude to tarnish it with thoughts of his fiancé. If anyone could come second to Ladybug, it was Cora. She was a sweet girl, honest and kind, but under that honesty layer came with someone who loved kicking ass, even if it wasn’t as a superhero. She had a good sense of herself too, the only thing he didn’t like was her constant weight tracking. It was almost an obsession for her; she could never get enough of keeping herself in shape. And, as her soon to be husband, he had to join in. It seemed she was intent on keeping him in ‘model shape’. Sure, he was a model, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a cookie every once and a while.

Shaking his head, Chat stood from the rooftop, his long leather tail flicking across the rooftop to flap in the wind as he stood. The moonlight grazed his face, casting quite a long shadow across the rooftop. Watching the city below, Chat found himself still absorbed in the thoughts of his lady. He needed to move on, and he had, but it would be nice to hear from her sometime. That is, if she could spare a moment. Occasionally, the odd letter would appear in his mailbox, no return address on it, just his name and address scrawled neatly across the front in curved font. The letter was always sealed with a ladybug sticker, which he found quite childish of her, but it never ceased to make him chuckle. She never typed her letters, which he was thankful for, that way he could let his fingers trail along the smooth creases in the red paper, follow her movements through the letter. Her French was perfect, even after all these years.

A strong longing feeling pulled at Chat as he stared at the city lights. His heart was beckoning him home. His wife would surely be in bed by now, fully aware of his duty to protect Paris, but he still felt bad making her sleep with nothing but the cold sheet next to her. Turning his head, Chat headed to the edge of the rooftop. Letting the wind whip through his hair, Chat prepped for a jump.

That’s when he saw it, a brief flash of red. Not just any red, the rich reflective red of a certain hero’s suit.

And that’s right at the moment when he fell.

A rush of wind flew past his exposed cheeks, the cold lashing feeling reminding him that cats may land on their feet, but Chat’s didn’t if they weren’t paying attention. Grasping for anything, Chat slowly moved himself into position, landing gracefully on the railing of the fire escape. Flailing his arms outward, he let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Looking frantically back up towards the flash of red he had seen, he found only an empty dark corner. There wasn’t a lick of the cherry red that he had come to only remember in his dreams. It had seemed so real, so vivid. But at this point, it could have been his imagination. Pulling out his staff, he slid up the screen part of his staff, looking to call ladybug, but all he got was static. He had stared at that static screen so many times in the last year he couldn’t count them all at once anymore. Shaking his head, Chat stood at full height. ‘You need more sleep, that’s what you need. You don’t need her anymore.’ Chat reminded himself, diving off the roof, familiar with the tug at his heart as he leapt across the rooftops towards his home.

* * *

 

“That was too close.”

The mumbled words of the breathless superhero that had pressed herself against the building on the other side of the Eiffel Tower, her chest rising and falling steadily as she wiped her palms against her thighs. Leaning back, Ladybug was painfully aware of the beads of sweat running down her back under her suit, and the tugging pain in her heart. Turning back towards the horizon, she did one last check for Chat Noir, finding him gone.

Slowly turning back towards the horizon, Ladybug drew out her yoyo, swinging it out and watching as it tugged her out from behind the building, the crisp night air stinging her cheeks as she flew across the skyline of Paris. She soon found herself on the terrace of her small apartment. Checking for any longing strangers looking at her, she slid through the door and into her studio apartment. As soon as she shut the door, she drew the curtains and let her detransform, the small red kwami swirling back in front of her.  
“Marinette! He was right there! Why didn’t you say anything?” The petite sprite yelled at her. Rolling her eyes, Marinette walked towards her closet, stripping her cardigan and shirt off easily as she reached for a large shirt to use as pajamas. “Because Tikki!” Marinette said, her voice muffled by the pile of clothing that was currently in front of her, “I can’t just walk up and say hi after having not seen him for ten years!” She emphasized, pulling out a T shirt that had the words “Beacon Academy” printed across the grey background. Sliding it over her head, Marinette sighed heavily, rubbing her head. “Really what am I supposed to do, just show up out of nowhere? He probably hates me now. He won’t even want to give me the time of day, let alone work as my partner again.” She grumbled softly, her form slumping onto the bed.

It had been so long, that her once familiar kitty cat probably didn’t know who she was. Running her hand absentmindedly through the short locks that dotted the back of her head. She had decided to cut it during college, and she had never gone back. It made her feel free to not have all that hair to hold back, though sometimes when she was working especially hard, she found herself pinning it back. Getting off the covers, Marinette headed towards the kitchen while her small little kwami followed. “But really Marinette, you are going to see him one day.” She said gently, following her master towards the kitchen.

Sighing heavily, Marinette pulled out a small round fist sized loaf of bread, biting into it. “I don’t know if I could handle all that shock at once. Heck, I’m not even sure if he could handle it. I have changed a lot, and not just a haircut….” She mumbled, her slender fingers finding the ends of her navy hair very interesting as she let the short locks twirl around her fingers. “Heck, he has probably totally forgotten me at this point…” She trailed off, taking another large bite.

Tikki groaned at the human’s silliness. “Marinette, he nearly fell on his face when he caught a glimpse of you.” She laughed, swirling around her head as the girl offered her a cookie. Marinette joined in, their bell like laughter filling the room as she swallowed her bite of bread. “He could have just had a bad step.” She said, trying to deny the feeling that he could have missed her. It had been ten years since her parents had decided Paris was a much too dangerous place to live, moving her and all of her things out of Paris and to New York, a city that she had called home for a while before she found herself moving back to Paris. Her job as a fashion designer had provided her with ample opportunities to move to Paris, and seeing as she was going to be a featured designer in a Paris fashion show soon, it was the perfect opportunity to move her operations back to her home town. The kwami rolled her eyes and took another bite of cookie. “Well you should be going to bed soon; we are meeting Ayla tomorrow, along with the other designers and models.” Tikki reminded her gently, and Marinette nodded, taking the small form in her hand. “Let’s finish these snacks by the window.” She mumbled, bringing the two of them to a small sofa sat right by the window, sighing as she looked over the beautiful city, and finishing off her last piece of bread.


	2. A Autumn Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has her first day on the job, and she meets face to face with a familiar person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer and they only get longer from here!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

As the morning sun rose over the lovely city of Paris, its inhabitants slowly rising from their slumber as the day started to break. Sun shining on the faces of the buildings, the pigeons rising to the sky as the breeze lifted the soft bell sound of birds chirping to the wind. Slowly, the sun graced the face of Adrien, who shunned away from the light with a groan, snuggling his face deeper into the soft and warm object he was cuddling. His face was greeted with long tails of brown hair sticking between his lips. Spitting lightly, Adrien found himself pulling away from his fiancé as he wiped his mouth. Soon a soft chuckle joined his frantic spitting as the woman pulled herself off the bed. “That’s karma for trying to sleep in babe~” She teased, turning to face him.

As Adrien came too, he found his vibrant green eyes meeting her stormy grey ones, heaving a sigh as she pressed a gentle kiss to his nose. “Morning sleepy head.” She added, pulling back her long brown tresses from her face. Adrien found himself staring back at her again, watching her slim figure pull herself off the bed, stretching her arms up to the sky. “I will go make breakfast, since I can’t trust you in the kitchen after the ham incident of last week.” She teased, causing her fiancé to groan.

“I already told you, it doesn’t hurt to have a little meat in our diets!” He called back as he got up from the bed, heading towards the closet. He had to start the day early, even with the crisp air outside.

* * *

 

“Yeah well it is for a vegetarian!” He heard her voice call back sharply to him from the other room. Cringing at her mention of the cursed diet, Adrien grumbled a reply and grabbed a nice green flannel with a pair of designer jeans. Grabbing a grey shirt and a grey beanie, he headed to the bathroom. Spotting his girlfriend just through the door, her eyes seemed to follow his sleep deprived and sluggish form to the bathroom. “You sure do look like Chat Noir~” She teased lightly, causing him to jump. “Yeah, well it so happens that that purrrfect man is who I am.” He teased slightly, smiling as he came out of the bathroom, his feet hurrying after as he hugged her from behind. He let his weight rest on his shorter girlfriend, who feigned his weight and bent forwards. “Ugghhh, it must be kitten me right meow, I don’t have time for this.” She said, her voice carrying a undertone of jest as she gently tossed him off her shoulder. The pair exchanged a laugh as Adrien headed back towards his bathroom.

Shutting the door, Adrien heaved a soft sigh. His fiancé was certainly a good distraction for him, but he still couldn’t get that flash of oh so familiar red out of his head. It had haunted him all of last night, bringing back memories into his dreams that used to be occupied by sweet dreams of his girlfriend and him, or of Nino and Ayla. The two of them were doing spectacular, but Nino didn’t have the guts to confess to her. He was twenty six for crying out loud! He had been pining over her since college, and here he was, still following her around like a sick puppy. Chuckling, he looked at himself in the mirror. He had let his stubble grow out a bit too much, and he sighed, reminding himself to shave it after his shower before turning on the warm water.

* * *

 

“Marinette! Wake up!” The small kwami complained as the loud screech of an alarm tore through the apartment. Groaning, the mass of the sheets rose upwards from the bed, a nimble hand reaching out to smash her alarm with surprising force. Slowly letting the sunset colored sheets drop off her lithe form, the golden rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window, lighting up the cerulean blue orbs that blinked in the light. Silky hair sticking up in several places, Marinette let out a exhausted yawn, her arms reaching for the ceiling as she pulled herself out of bed and walked towards the window.

Slim hands reaching for the window, Marinette threw open the windows, a cold breeze rushing in to grace her cheeks, turning them a pleasant rose color. The sound of birds chirping and the vague smell of a bakery wafted through the window, bringing along with it a smile to Marinette’s face. “Isn’t it a lovely day Tikki?” The woman asked enthusiastically, the soft breeze shifting some of the papers that scattered the room. But Marinette didn’t notice, not one bit. She was too absorbed in the sight of Paris. Sighing, she leaned down onto the windowsill, her arms collapsing gently under her head as she looked out at the people who were taking a morning walk. “I missed these moments. The crisp autumn mornings, the smell of fresh bread, the morning dew….” Marinette mumbled softly, her voice carrying softly through the wind.

“Yes, it’s very lovely Marinette, but could you shut the window please!” The small sprite groaned, shaking in the breeze. Sure, the woman was tall enough to only feel a nip from the morning breeze, but the small creature found it absolutely freezing.

“Just a moment Tikki….” Marinette said dreamily. She sat there for a few moments longer, recalling several places where she and Chat had visited so many years ago. It was funny, out of all the people she had helped out saving the world, Chat was always buried somewhere deep in her mind. Deep between the creases and folds of her brain and the years of hard studying, and failed boyfriends.

Slowly pulling herself to her feet, Marinette headed for the mirror, grimacing at her ugly appearance. “Gross, I really hate morning hair….” She grumbled, yawning again. It was only a moment before she recoiled at the strong smell emitting from her mouth. “And breath….” She grumbled, looking to her closet. She already had an outfit planned out, a nice long sleeved white shirt, with a deep cerulean blue scarf around her neck. She had a nice skirt to match, a pair of dark leggings underneath and a pair of combat boots. Her hair would be left swept off to the side and slightly more tame for the day.

“For once I thank my ability to make an outfit.” She mumbled gently, taking the outfit gently off her closet door before heading to the bathroom.

Finally having finished getting ready, Marinette stood in her kitchen munching on her breakfast. Out of habit, she ended up eating a lot of things with bread in them. Laughing at herself for her silly behavior, Marinette finished up the last of her meal and walked over towards the small form sitting on the table finishing her cookie.

“Come on Tikki, it’s time to go.” She said, holding open her usual bag for her to climb in. With a nod, the kwami flew into the open pouch, settling herself between Marinette’s phone and her keys. Smiling, Marinette took the keys from her loving kwami and sealed the bag.

Heading out the door, Marinette made sure to lock her door after her, depositing her keys back into her bag afterwards. She took in a deep breath, feeling a surge of energy rush through her veins as she opened her eyes again. ‘It’s now or never! Let’s do this!’ She thought, before she started her walk towards the elevator and her car.

After a long drive full of her favorite tunes like Stronger Than You, Marinette found herself in front of a familiar café. Her and Alya used to visit this café all the time when they were in high school. Have a cup of hot coco and talk about Adrien, but those days were over. Now it was just going to be her, and Alya, no talk of Adrien, who was now just a distant crush in her memory.

Smiling, Marinette found herself pushing open the door to the café with ease, the distant sound of a bell chiming hitting her ears as she scanned the room. It smelled like coffee beans and pastries. Smiling, Marinette let her gaze settle on her best friend from so many years ago. She had kept her signature hair style, though she had let the long tendrils grow until they reached her waist. She had pulled it back and slapped a grey beanie over it. She was wearing a usual outfit for her, which was ripped jeans, old worn out lace up convers, a blue flannel and a white shirt under it.

With a deep breath, Marinette walked herself over to the table, pulling back the chair to gain the attention of her once friend. “Hey Alya.” She said gently, waving to her as she made her way to sit down. But before she could even hit the chair, her friend had wrapped her into a crushing hug. “Marinette!!!” She practically screamed, pulling back to smile at her friend. Her gaze alone was something that could make Marinette at ease. She always knew what to do and what to say. “I am so happy you are back in Paris! How have you been? It’s been a long time since you have visited.” Alya said, sitting down in the seat across from her.

Smiling, Marinette let out a sigh, looking over at Alya. “Well, I’m happy to be back. My jobs lead me here for a while, and I decided it might be a good idea to settle down again!” She said gently, hearing a loud squeal from Ayla as a result.

“You moved in already? I would have asked you to share an apartment, but my place is kind of messy.” She said sheepishly, smiling up at Marinette. Marinette laughed and she shook her head. “It’s fine Ayla, really. My place is a mess anyway, it wouldn’t have mattered.” She chuckled, taking a sip of the coffee Ayla had ordered for her. “I’m amazed Ayla, even after all these years you remember what kind of coffee I like the most~” She jested lightly, setting down her cup and looking at her.

“Oh, it’s nothing Marinette, anything for a old friend.” Ayla said gently.

“Well Alya, how is everyone?” Marinette asked politely, letting her kind gaze meet Ayla’s. She could feel the excitement still spilling out of every inch of her skin.

“Oh! Everyone’s been amazing! I ended up seeing most of the people in our tenth grade class in college as well, Adrien’s been well… and Nino………” She said, letting her words trail off at the mention of Adrien’s former friend. Chuckling, Marinette observed the blush spreading across her friends cheeks.

“How has Nino been?” Marinette asked, only earning an exasperated gasp from her friend.

“Marinette! I don’t know what to do! I really like Nino, but he hasn’t asked me out! I have tried to drop hints but it’s no use! I need help.” She said, pressing her cheek to the table. Alya looked absolutely depressed about this entire subject. Chuckling, Marinette put a hand on her friends head.

“Come on girl, you were the one always telling me to man up and tell Adrien how I felt back then, you can ask him out. No matter what happens, you come over to my house tonight, and we will stuff our faces with ice-cream.” She said with a chuckle, running her slim hand over her beanie for a second longer before pulling it away. Out of all her friends, Marinette had stayed in closest contact with Ayla. Despite the fact that she had seen her not too long ago, Marinette still felt a bit of a divide. Pulling her hand away, she pressed her fingers together. “That is, if you want, or if it’s too awkward, or you are too busy that’s fine too…..” She rambled on, letting out a soft laugh and rubbing the back of her head.

“No no! I would love to Marinette! It’s been so long since we have gotten to properly hang out!” Alya said, grasping Marinette’s hands lightly, gratefulness in her gaze as she breathed a sigh of relief.

And then came a worse part.

“So, what’s the Adrien situation, since you brought it up.” Alya asked, looking up from her cup of coffee, a smirk appearing across her lips as she spotted Marinette’s confused look. “You know, the male you had been pining over for forever, even after you left.” Alya joked, setting her cup back on the table.

“Totally over him. I need to put myself first Alya, I don’t have time for boys.” Marinette said with a shrug, taking a sip from her own cup. Marinette could hardly contain her laughter as Alya’s jaw dropped to the floor, Marinette scrambling to cover her face so she didn’t end up squirting coffee onto her friend, or her nicely planned outfit. “What? I’ve been gone for 10 years, he probably hardly remembers me.” Marinette said, finally regaining her composure.

Heaving a sigh, Alya nodded. “Thank goodness, because at this point it’s a little hard to rip him away from his fiancé.” She said casually, causing Marinette to choke on her drink for the second time.

“Excuse me?” Marinette managed between coughs, covering her lips with her sleeve as she regained her breath. “He’s getting married?” Marinette asked, exhasparated.

“Yeah. Strong lass she was. They meet a year after college. She’s a big time fighter, strong one she is.” Alya laughed, shaking her head. “A bit of a health nut, but not too bad. She’s a pretty cool friend. You would get along with her Marinette.” Alya said, smiling at her friend.

Nodding her head, Marinette took a sip of her drink. For some reason, knowing he was married made her heart sink a little bit. ‘Oh well, at the least Chat has his lady all to himself.’ Marinette thought. “Good for him.” She said, sighing. “Now, about you and Nino.” Marinette said, the grin returning to her face as she flipped the conversation around entirely.

Marinette stayed to chat a while with Alya, but soon enough an alarm from Alya’s phone went off, and she stood up. “Got to run, job is starting soon. See you tonight at your place Marinette?” Alya asked her, raising an eyebrow as she got up from the table.

Smiling, Marinette returned the smile as she got up herself. “Of course. Usual chocolate chip cookie dough?” Marinette asked, smiling as her friend nodded her head. Parting ways with Alya, Marinette got back in her car, and started heading to the shoot. She spared a moment to look at her car. It wasn’t anything super fancy, or expensive, she didn’t need something like that. It was a simple little blue car, sleek, but not too expensive. It wasn’t any sort of racing vehicle, it was just a car for her to drive to and from work with. It had enough room for her designs and everything, not too small, but not to big either. Rolling her eyes at her silly thoughts and dawdling behavior. ‘You better get going or you are going to be late.’ She thought to herself, checking on Tikki once and handing her a piece of chocolate before starting the car and heading off to work.

After a short car ride, Marinette found herself standing in front of the building. Walking, she passed security, and found herself winding her way through the corridors of the building. The room they were working in was close to the back of the building, close to the store rooms of cloth and extra items for detailing. The show was in a few months, so they had to have things at the ready to make 3 outfits each.

Soon enough, Marinette found herself in front of the door marked “Studio 5.” Nerves building up inside her, Marinette sighed, her hand reaching out longingly for the handle of the door. Hesitating, Marinette let her thoughts consume her for a moment, thousands of voices whispering in her ears.

“What if they hate me?”

“What if I am the youngest there?”

“What if Chloe’s there?”

“Will I be able to do this?”

“Just breathe Marinette.” A soft voice called from her bag, reminding her that she wasn’t alone. Smiling, Marinette patted her bag gently. “Thanks Tikki.” She whispered gently, before reaching back up for the door handle, taking a deep breath and pushing it open.

* * *

 

Adrien groaned as he found himself walking into the building. It was a building like any other, but today was the beginning of another long project. His agent had insisted he take this job, and it had offered a promising pay, promising enough to pay for a few more things his wedding, which was a year away. His bride had insisted on having a lot of time to plan things out, since everything had to be perfect down to the shade of his shoes. Sighing, Adrien found himself walking down the confusing twist and turn of hallways and into the door labeled Studio 5.

The room was plain, mostly. There was a backdrop of white in one corner, along with a camera and a camera man. They were going to do test shoots today, get a feel for how each model posed. That, and get a picture of the designer as well, even a few with the model for comparison and advertising.

Tugging on his ponytail, Adrien was lead to a seat in front of a makeup station. It was labeled with a number 4. ‘Funny, the black cat gets the number that symbolizes death.’ He thought to himself. He had been given a paper with his designer’s name on it, but he hadn’t bothered looking. There were tons of models littering the room, two others at the other stations marked with a 4. ‘So it’s three models to a number huh….’ He wondered, seeing the door open again, some more designers file in.

There was a wide range of people. A girl with half her head shaved and the other half of her hair to one side, piercings peeking out from her hair, and a casual punk style, a male with hair shoved upwards, sporting a sporty style, and one wearing something inspired by the Asian countries. All of which weren’t his designer. Sighing, Adrien let his head flop onto his open palm, resting against his knee.

And then, the door swung open again. A collective breath was taken throughout the room, eyes swiveling towards the door. Adrien’s followed to the form walking into the room. Instantly, his jaw dropped as he watched the next female enter the room. He could practically see her hips swishing with her confident stride towards her stations. She didn’t even pause for a moment, her gaze serious as she walked towards a station, HIS station. Jaw still stuck to the floor, Adrien’s gaze floated up to the woman who didn’t even bat an eyelash at his presence, which was a stark contrast to what she had done ten years ago. Trying to grasp for the words in his mind as he stared up at the now pixie cut bearing woman, Adrien could only manage one word.

“M-Marinette?”


	3. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter about awkwardness at a photo shoot

Adrien continued to gape up at Marinette, rubbing his jaw as he tried to regain composure. ‘Why is she suddenly here? She had disappeared a while ago…. Why?’ He thought, looking up at Marinette. She had changed a lot since he had last seen her. Her hair was the most shocking part of the change. She had lobbed off the pigtails in favor of a short pixie cut, that made her look amazing. Adrien couldn’t help but let his eyes wander for a moment before he was slapped back to reality by the thought of fiancé.

 

‘Come on man, ogling over an old classmate? That would drive Cora crazy.’ He thought to himself, straitening to meet her gaze. She was still quite short, she hadn’t grown an inch since he had last seen her, but the combat boots were certainly helping. Seeing as he was sitting down, she currently stood a few inches above him, staring down at him with a raised eyebrow. “What was that?” He asked, as he had seen her lips move, but words hadn’t registered in his brain. It was like he was blinded for a moment by all the changes.

 

“I said, hello Adrien.” She said calmly, offering up a small smile as she extended a hand for him to shake. “It’s a pleasure to work with you.” She said calmly. Adrien couldn’t help himself, whoever this new Marinette was; he was captured by her movements, her voice. She seemed to move smoothly, but even as she did so, he could spot the strong muscles under her shirt flexing as she shook his hand gently, moving onto the next model and leaving him speechless. Marinette proceeded to greet her other two models, Killian and Geo.

 

Marinette stepped back, glancing between the three of them and placing a hand on her chin. ‘Adrien isn’t hard to figure out; his most striking feature is his green eyes. I already know what goes good with that.’ She said, recalling her extensive time as a high schooler, reading every magazine and article with a picture of him in it. He looked best in either white or black. Looking at Geo, a model with quite short cropped brown hair, and a sweet look. She could either be taken in a really sexy or a really innocent way. Smiling Marinette looked at her blue eyes. ‘With her, we could go for something along the lines of a more masculine outfit on a woman, something French fashion has not seen much of in a while. Maybe a nice leather jacket or flannel of some sort….’ She thought, then looking at Killian. ‘We can go for a more tame look, make Adrien more rugged, considering his hair has grown out….’ She thought, clapping her hands after another moment of waiting.

 

“Alright guys, I am going to have my makeup artists get you into simple makeup, and then we are going to do shoots. I want to see how you behave before I finish outfits for you. For now, go ahead and relax, feel free to talk, we should probably get to know each other.” She said happily, putting her hands on her hips. She was happy that she was keeping cool for now. Ever since college, she had brought back that fiery spark that Ladybug always had, something Marinette wished she could translate over so she could actually speak a sentence to Adrien without stuttering, or screwing it up entirely. Pulling up a chair, Marinette sat down in between Adrien and Geo. “Adrien, you are going to catch flies.” She pointed out with a laugh, seeing as his jaw was still quite slacked.

 

Closing his mouth sharply, the two other models shared a laugh, and Geo turned to Marinette. “Nice haircut.” She said, gesturing to Marinette’s short locks. Looking up for a moment, Marinette let a laugh escape her lips. “Thanks, I like yours too. It looks great on you. You have a great hairline for it.” She mentioned, looking at the female as the stylists started pulling her hair back to get a good look at her face. “Keep the freckles, I like them.” She mentioned to the makeup artist before looking over at Killian and then Adrien. “So, how life Adrien?” She asked him, turning her head to him.

 

Adrien was grateful that Marinette had decided to converse with Geo first before him. He still needed some time to slap the sense back into himself. Seeing her after such a long time was such a shock, and after last night, he was very confused. Shaking his head, Adrien found himself gazing back at Marinette as she asked him how things were going. To his surprise, he found himself being the one without words. Clearing his throat once, Adrien looked back up at Marinette. “Uh, life’s going good.” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s a shock to see you back in Paris. It’s been a long time.” He said softly, trying to stay still as the people put makeup on his face, rubbing it in harshly.

 

Laughing, Marinette rolled her eyes. “Well yeah, sometimes you have to get back to your roots. I wish I could have stayed to at the least finish high school. I saw the graduation photos.” Marinette said, leaning back her chair and raising an eyebrow at him.

 

“Ah, yeah, I saw your photo’s too. There was a photo with some guy… Who was he?” Adrien asked, looking up at her. Marinette visibly winced at the mention of THAT guy. That stupid idiot that had her pegged for a fool. He was playing her like a tool. Scoffing, Marinette rolled her eyes. “Well Adrien, not all men are gentlemen, and he would be one of them. He was my boyfriend.” She said, sighing. “But that is history now. You, on the other hand, seem to have yourself pegged with a woman, no?” She asked, causally picking lint off her leggings.

 

Adrien had never felt tenser in a conversation with Marinette before. In high school he always thought that he had scared her to death since she could never seem to talk to him normally. Now he felt like he was being stared down by a panther. A panther with piercing blue eyes that looked like it was content to make him her next meal. ‘Since when has she been so terrifying?’ He thought to himself, and he sighed. “Cora? Yeah, I proposed not too long ago.” He said, a soft smile drawing to his face before he quickly erased it from his face. Marinette didn’t seem to be comfortable with the conversation. And he was right. Marinette was sitting as straight as possible, picking at the invisible dust bunnies that seemed to cling to her clothing.

 

“So…. How did you like New York? What was it like?” Adrien offered up, starting to look back at the mirror. It wasn’t like you just casually start talking like friends who were totally comfortable the day you came back after ten years of silence. Besides the odd poke or like on his photos, Marinette had completely slipped off his radar. ‘That’s probably why her new look hit me like a ton of bricks…’ he thought, rubbing his chin.

 

Marinette instantly felt herself relax as Adrien asked about New York. Letting an easy smile slide onto her face, Marinette looked up. “Well, it was a lot louder and meaner than Paris, but I think it taught me a valuable lesson about courage. Out there people hardly give anyone a second glance.” She said, leaning back in her chair again and folding her hands onto her lap.

 

Scoffing, Adrien smirked and cast a brief glance over at Marinette. “Oh but I bet I could get my way around.” He said, letting his makeup team keep pulling at his face, seeing as they were almost done. Some people had already started shooting photos, while others took time to talk to their models before taking pictures.

 

“Oh please. Someone like you wouldn’t last more than five minutes.” She said, leaning forwards with a challenging glare.

 

“OH really? Care to take me up on that sometime!” He asked, smirking as he looked at her.

 

“If you can figure out a way there, you’re on.” She said, smiling at him. “So, let me in on the secret, what does the all famous Adrien do in his free time?” she asked him, playing with her short ink black bangs.

 

Grinning, Adrien felt himself relaxing a bit as the makeup people finished the last touches of his hair. “Well, I usually watch movies, or play games. I do some other things, but modeling is most of my career.” He said, closing his eyes.

 

Smiling, Marinette perked up at the mention of games. “What are your favorite type of games?” She asked him, raising an eyebrow.

“OH, well I really like playing some strategy games, but I find myself attracted to Grim Eclipse most of all.” He said, nodding to the makeup artists as they finally let go of him. He was finally able to turn to Marinette, but instead of finding her sitting calmly in her chair, he found himself nose to nose with the girl, who seemed to have an odd sparkle in her eyes.

 

“Grim Eclipse! I love that game! It’s my favorite out of all of them I have ever played! What is your favorite character?” Marinette asked, perching her head on her balled fists. Her eyes shone with a wonder Adrien couldn’t fathom for someone bordering on 26 years of age. She looked like a small child had just seen their favorite hero in real life, or had just won a huge teddy bear at the carnival. Chuckling, Adrien smiled at the woman in front of him.

 

“I think Yang is the best. Her attacks are strong and explosive. She’s also super confident, and her puns are the best.” He said, chuckling as he listened to himself talk about this game casually. He hardly ever talked about games with people anymore. At this age there weren’t a lot of interested parties in games that involved a group of women running around and shooting the crap out of some grim.

 

“Really? I think Ruby is the easiest. Her scythe is the best. Besides her specials are relatively useful in combat. And her regular attacks always hit more than one grim if you are in a cluster.” Marinette said. Her head flicked up as another woman walked up to her. Nodding her head, Marinette turned to the other two models that were almost done being prepped. “I am heading to get headshots with Adrien, come over to the photographer when you are done.” Marinette said, smiling as she got off her chair.

 

When Marinette glanced back, she saw that Adrien was hot on her heels. Smirking, Marinette continued to walk, letting him catch up with her confident stride. “You have to give me your steam name so I can play with you. It would be nice to play with someone I know instead of getting a bunch of randoms.” She said, crossing carefully onto the white sheet that had been set down.

 

Marinette slowly found her way in front of the camera, smiling and giving a wave to the photographer. She seemed to shuffle around as soon as the photographer turn to her, standing there with her hands crossed in front of her. Concealing a chuckle, Adrien watched as the photographer glared at the small and fidgeting form of Marinette.

 

“Relax mon chère. Loosen up. Move your arms, do SOMETHING!” The photographer gasped, leaning against the table with his computer on it. “Have you never been in front of a camera?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the shy designer. Adrien was quite surprised she was so quick to resume her original nature of blushing and trying to figure out what to say. Shaking her vigorously, Marinette smoothed back the hairs on her head, clearing her throat and attempting a cool pose, placing her hand on her right hip and making a peace sign by her left eye, leaning heavily onto one side that it looked like she was about to topple over. Unable to contain his laughter, Adrien let out a sharp gasp of a laugh, the sound sharp as it sliced through the room, cutting the noise in half and rendering the room silent. All eyes went to Adrien and Marinette, who was now presently blushing a furious shade of red and burying her face in her hands.

 

The photographer sighed and placed a hand on his forehead as the chatter slowly returned to the room. “Could someone please help this woman? At this rate I am never going to get a good shot.” He said, looking at the model that was currently standing behind him. Normally Adrien would have loved to watch her flounder, but for some reason, when he opened his eyes next he found himself walking onto the white carpet to stand next to her, his large hands gently placing themselves onto her shoulders. “Here, let me help. Think of Nora and Ren.” He said, and he took her hand, placing it onto his opposite shoulder, and he leaned down to stand at her height, offering a warm smile.

Marinette seemed taken aback by Adrien’s sudden movement towards her, and took the opertunity to let out a soft laugh, taking a deep breath. ‘Now is not the time to lose control Marinette. Just smile, keep going.’ She thought, standing up strait. She tightened her hold on Adrien, moving her arm around his neck and smiling as if they had been friend forever. Adrien, of course, was a natural and automatically adjusted to this new found spark he was seeing in her.

Smiling, the photographer clapped happily. “Perfect! That looks marvelous!” He said, snapping a few shots. “Now switch positions please.” He said, and upon those instructions Marinette let go of his neck, instead favoring leaning back to back. Adjusting again, Adrien gave a cocky smirk, looking back at Marinette who was smirking right back at him. Her face looked like it was begging for a challenge, like who could out pose the other. She adapted so easily in front of the camera, like it was a second home. ‘Since when did she change so much.’ He thought, smiling as she stood onto her tippy toes, leaning her face in close and giving him the longest and the hardest glare he had seen from a female.

 

Leaning back, Adrien could not mask the surprise that crossed his face when she leaned in. His gaze was taken over by her piercing sky blue eyes that consumed most of his vision. Blinking back his surprise, Adrien had to lean his arms, trying to keep his balance together to at the least get a few shots.

 

That was, until Adrien went crashing down to the ground, his long limbs falling up to the sky before landing next to him as he sprawled out on the white cloth beneath him, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks as he stared upwards. He had never been so surprised by such a small woman besides his lady. In fact, for a moment, he could almost see Marinette dawning on said costume, but he shook it from his head. ‘Not possible.’ He thought, rubbing his face. ‘She couldn’t have been someone so confident back then, but she certainly is now….’ He thought to himself begrudgingly, slowly propping himself up.

 

A soft bell like laugh filled his ears, and Adrien raised his eyes to the girl in front of him, who was crouching down and holding her gut as she stared at him. Her face was turning red with exhaustion as she tried to catch her breath.

 

‘We gonna play that game? Fine, I’ll play.’

 

A grin plastered onto his perfect face, Adrien swooped forwards, his weight carrying the breathless girl off her feet and over his shoulder. Adrien made sure his muscled arms were tightly secured around her abdomen, but that didn’t stop the young woman from squealing.

 

“Adrien! PUT ME DOWN!!!” Marinette thundered, her fists pummeling his back harshly as she tried to escape his grasp. Her face showed embarrassment and panic as she thrashed around in his grasp. She knew that he was strong, it was hard to hide thin yet strong muscles in magazines, though she found herself experiencing first hand that they weren’t all just photo shopped. They were real and quite annoyingly so as she squirmed in his grasp.

Grinning, Adrien looked over at Marinette, making sure the camera man got a few good shots of them before he lifted her into a slightly more romantic princess hold. His hands were still grasping onto her, creating a seemingly romantic hold, but one glance into his eyes and you could Adrien wasn’t planning on doing anything. He was being careful about where he put his hands and arms, and he was clearly joking with her, seeing as he knew she would cross her arms and glare at him. And she did just that, glaring up at the tall male. “Put. Me. Down.” She said forcefully, waiting for him to drop her to the ground. After another second of pause, Adrien set her down on the ground.

Grinning, the photographer clapped his hands. “Perfect! Now some shots of just our designer.” He said, shooing Adrien out of the way. Grinning at his ability to loosen up the designer, he walked off set and behind the camera. Marinette let her eyes follow Adrien, unable to shake the flickering vision of a tail swishing behind his back.

 

‘Sneaky bastard.’ She thought to herself, watching Adrien with cautious eyes. He seemed to be more mischievous and loose than she had remembered him being, which just made her wonder more. What had happened while she was gone? Shaking her head, she turned back to the photographer who was waiting for her. Smiling, Marinette sat down on the ground, pulling her right knee to her chest and leaning into it, offering a smooth smile to the camera. She posed for a minute, varying the expression on her face, and trying to contain her giggles as the other models in her ground, along with Adrien made funny faces and gestures behind the camera man.

 

Cracking up more than once in front of the photographer made her relaxed, and she breezed through the poses quickly. She did a few cool shots with Geo, some more seducing ones with Killian, and finally a group shot, portraying a shouldered fight, which had both females on the male’s shoulders shoving each other, while somehow not loosing balance. The last shot ended with all of them in a heap on the floor, laughing genuinely as the photographer captured the last shot.

 

“Magi fique! These shots are perfect, you may go now! NEXT!” The photographer called, and the group got off the white fabric, the last remains of giggles and chuckles dispersing in the air. “Whew, I am glad that I have such nice people to work with. I will be back tomorrow afternoon to take measurements.” She said with a smile, walking back to the station. The models hung behind, chatting a bit as Marinette went about packing up her things before lunch with the designers.

 

“She’s a bit camera shy, but she walks with such confidence.” Killian observed softly, watching her swaying hips as she seemed to start writing something down on scrap pieces of paper. Marinette was certainly an interesting girl, it didn’t take long to see that. She had this way of moving back and forth that was adorable, he could see Killian watching her from afar. Smirking, Adrien leaned back, taking a peek over at Marinette. Her skirt was swishing ever so slightly with her movement, as she slowly made her way back towards the group. She looked quite adorable in her outfit, but Adrien could see it was carefully picked out. ‘As always, style on point.’ He thought, looking at her. Adrien hadn’t even noticed how much more like Plagg he was now. After having so many years just him and Plagg, he had gotten used to the kwami’s awful jokes and horrible puns. He even found himself making them from time to time. Shaking his head, Adrien turned his attention back to the female that was approaching.

 

With a vibrant smile, Marinette handed each one of them a piece of paper, handing Adrien’s first. “There is my phone number. I will contact you guys when I need you to come in for hemming and fixing, etc. It shouldn’t take long, but I am not sure if it would be here yet. It might end up being in my apartment because I do my best work there.” She said, folding her arms and smiling. Tugging on her bag for a moment, she cleared her throat, adjusting her bag strap. “And with that, I am off to collect some ideas before lunch with the other designers.” Marinette said, pulling off a smile before heading towards the door, the same invisible beat swinging through her hips. There was a pause of silence, before Killian spoke up.

“God damn….”

 

* * *

 

Marinette smiled as she let the fresh air consume her, having left her car behind in the parking lot. She loved the daytime in Paris, even if it was cold. Smiling, she placed her hands on the railing, the cold breeze lifting the smell of freshly fallen leaves and grass into the air, causing her to sigh as skipped towards the stairs. She had missed this big set of stairs that faced the Effiel Tower, the view just as sharp as the cold breeze. Sighing, Marinette picked up her sketchbook and started to draw. Her pencil left methodical swirls on the paper, amongst other random doodles as she designed the outfits for the show.

 

She had spent years working on designs, but it seemed that today she was feeling especially inspired. She hoped that Adrien had seen the note she scribbled on the bottom of the paper. It had been her steam ID. She hoped he would come play Grim Eclipse with her sometime, or just chat. She already had their numbers entered into her phone, seeing as they had to put it down on the application sheet. Marinette had been given them this morning. Sighing, she scribbled for a moment on her paper, setting down her pencil. It was a lovely day for sketching, and it would be a great day to run along Paris too, but it was not the right time. If anyone saw her in the daytime, the news would spread like wildfire, and then Chat would know without her seeing him first. Breathing a sigh, Marinette decided to go on a little walk.

 

Letting her hands pull her scarf closer to her face, keeping her nose warm as the flesh turned a light shade of pink in the freezing air. She could feel the dawn of winter rising through the crisp air. She could see the clouds sweeping across the sky, blocking the warming patches of light that crossed the leaf strewn path she walked. It looked miraculously untidy, but Marinette though there was a beuty about a little chaos. One could not always be perfect, even though she had to appear to be. One of the flaws of the job.

 

Running her hands through her hair, Marinette was enjoying her walk when a form breezed forwards, and strait into her gut. Groaning, Marinette was sent backwards into a pile of leaves with a crash. Looking up, she saw a familiar face next to her, bright red hair peeking out from the leaves as she shook the cursed orange objects off her. “Damn… That hurt.” She grumbled, brushing a small scrape on her arm before turning to the woman with the short ink black hair.

 

Marinette’s eyes drew up the slender form, elegantly dressed in a loose tank top and a pair of shoulder pads. Speedy but worn skates could be heard as the red haired woman scrambled backwards, surprised by the familiar sky blue eyes that had greeted her.

 

“Marinette?” The girl asked, a astonished tone taking over her as she stared back at the warmly dressed woman. Compared to Marinette, Alix was dressed rather scarcely. She had only a loose tank top in black, a green sports bra, some green and black pads and a pair of black and green shorts. ‘At the least she chose to stick with like colors.’ Marinette thought, staring at the loose clothing. Somehow, it fit her like a glove.

 

“Nice to see you too Alix.” Marinette laughed lightly, smiling at the red haired woman. Marinette was far less shocked to see the woman still skating around Paris at this age. Even as a older woman, Alix was surprisingly young in appearance. Smiling, Marinette got up and extended a hand to the woman, helping her off the ground. “It’s been a long time.” She said sweetly, clasping her hands behind her back.

 

“Yeah, no kidding girl.” Alix said with a grin, placing a hand on her hip. “You just happened to disappear ten years ago, and you don’t even bother to tell me your coming back!” She teased, shoving Marinette lightly with her hands before skating in a circle around her. “How was New York?” Alix asked, raising an eyebrow as she kept her hands behind her back, moving fluidly along the ground as she did so.

 

“Much colder than here. A lot busier here. It’s nice to be back to the crisp air and warm lights of Paris.” Marinette said, letting Alix skate to her hearts content. Marinette was going to continue her conversation, when her phone buzzed; reminding her she had to get to the lunch with the other designers. Sighing, Marinette smiled at Alix. “I have to go, but if you would like you can have my phone number.” Marinette said, whipping out her cellular device. With a nod, Alix grabbed her own, which was inside a padded pocket, typing in Marinette’s number and sending her a text so Marinette could save the number. “Thanks Alix!” She called, before turning back towards the parking lot, heading towards her car.

 

* * *

 

Less than an hour later, Marinette found herself at lunch with the other designers. Rachel, the girl with half her head shaved, was actually good company. A little more graphic than some of the other designers, she didn’t really seem like one to follow the rules, and sometimes in fashion, that was a good thing. Paul, the sporty man, was very intent on watching his calories surprisingly. Hibiki, the girl in a more traditional Chinese outfit with longs sleeves, was even more terrifying. Though soft appearing on the outside, she spoke with a sharp tongue and had a very rigid set of rules she thought women should act like, and Marinette and Rachel did not meet the standard, so talking to her was like stepping on broken glass.

 

The place they had lunch was a greenhouse like area, the food served on hard oak wood tables, the vibrant color of green surrounding them everywhere. The food smelled amazing, and it certainly was. Favoring Italian food, Marinette found herself with a full plate of spaghetti covered in marinara sauce, along with garlic bread. The people around her had all gotten very different meals, but they all seemed to agree on the food being of high quality.

Chuckling, Marinette let her head swivel to Paul as he made a joke, and she shoved him lightly. Most of the designers were getting along, and if Marinette wasn’t getting along with them, they were getting along with Hibiki. It seemed pretty split between people who followed more modern and free form ways of design, and the sticklers for the traditional. Marinette stuck to Rachel’s side for now, seeing as she seemed the least frightening in personality.

 

* * *

 

Chatting up the people around her, they discussed fashion, and all their interests. Marinette mentioned her learning in New York which sparked another entire conversation. Everything was somewhat peaceful.

And that’s when the shattering sound of the glass room came rushing in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK WHAT TO SAY ANYMORE. Well then


End file.
